Our Fitness Blog

Fuel and Refuel for Success!

Fueling the body properly before and after a workout is a big key to success. Success for what, you might ask? Well, whether your goals revolve around body transformation, improved overall health and fitness and/or improved athletic performance, pre/post workout fueling is a big key to achieving all of these goals. That being said, sometimes there is a big misunderstanding about how to fuel the body before workout; how to fuel the body after a workout; and what to fuel the body with at these times. What we are trying to accomplish with pre/post workout fueling is to constantly load and reload muscle glycogen.

Fitness enthusiasts and athletes tend to have enhanced focus when it comes to their workouts and, as mentioned above, individuals are looking to improve their body composition, overall health and fitness and/or improve their athletic performance. What if it was possible to assist in improving all of these factors without having to work out more/harder? Good news - it is very possible to do so! One of the main keys to success is fueling the body properly prior to each workout. Most of us lead very busy lives and, as a result, once a workout is completed we are off to the next task for the day. Many times, this means that the proper recovery fuel did not find its way into the mix. This is where 9Round Nutrition will help you out. The fuel we are putting into our body post-workout is not just assisting in recovery from that specific workout, it is helping to fuel our body properly for tomorrow's workout. Does that make sense? Basically, the constant fuel/refuel process is allowing us to properly recover from today's workout and prepare the body for tomorrow's workout.

Here are a few tips that will help to improve recovery which, in turn, will help to enhance every 9Round workout.

Glycogen Load and Reload
Glycogen is the storage form of glucose that is stored in the liver and muscles. Reloading and replenishing glycogen stores following a workout is one of the main keys to recovery success. The main macronutrient that will help with reloading glycogen is carbohydrate. When carbohydrates are consumed post workout, this stimulates insulin production, which helps in muscle glycogen production. Your 9Round Nutrition meals/snacks will serve as ideal post workout recovery fuel. All too often, individuals think that protein, and more of it, is the key to recovery. That is not the case

Glycogen x 2
In addition to ingesting carbohydrates following a workout, research also shows that a recovery fuel source containing carbohydrate and protein can nearly double the insulin response. In turn, this results in more glycogen storage. In addition, the protein will also provide the body with amino acids which can help assist in muscle recovery. Your 9Round Nutrition meals/snacks have the ideal balance of these macronutrients.

Carbohydrate & Protein Ratio
Now that you understand the importance of carbohydrates and protein following your workouts, how much of each macronutrient is ideal? Research shows that a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 2:1, 3:1 and even up to 4:1 or 5:1 is optimal for reloading. For example, a 2:1 ratio means 2g carbohydrate to 1g protein. At 9Round Nutrition, we help take the thinking out of this process for you. For example, the meals/snacks have a balance of approximately 50% carbohydrate, 25% protein, 25% fat. This is a great example of a 2:1 ratio and the body will be well fueled for success.

More protein following a workout is going to slow glycogen replenishment and rehydration; both of which would be huge negatives to an individuals' recovery process. In terms of when recovery fuel should be consumed following a workout, there are a few factors to consider such as when pre-workout fuel was consumed, workout duration and workout intensity. From a pre-workout timing perspective, we want to consume our 9Round Nutrition pre-workout meal 30 to 60 minutes pre-workout. The 9Round workout will last 30 minutes, followed by refueling within 60 minutes after our 9Round workout (refuel with one of the Rxd meals/snacks on your 9Round Nutrition meal plan). Let's use an example of a 5:30pm workout. We want to fuel the body pre-workout at 4:30-5pm and then refuel the body by 7pm.

H2O
As important as reloading glycogen is following a workout, rehydration is just as important. Just as we discussed earlier in regards to proper post workout recovery fuel helping to assist in improving future workouts, the same holds true for proper rehydration. If we do not properly rehydrate following each workout, we will then go into our next workout slightly dehydrated. This can start to negatively compound on itself and we can quickly find ourselves in an acute or even chronic state of dehydration. This will negatively impact recovery and heart rate (heart rate will be higher at a lower rate of exertion). Following a 30 minute, 9Round workout, consume 16-24 ounces immediately following your workout.

In summary, let's put the Glycogen Load & Reload principles in motion. Let's fuel the body properly prior to and after each workout. As a result, we will find our workout performance and workout recovery enhanced!